Jazzin’, New Orleans style

The GCSU Jazz Band honored the musical tradition of New Orleans in a timely fashion last Thursday and Friday for their spring concert.

Nationally acclaimed trumpet player and conductor Byron Stripling played along with the GCSU Jazz Band at the concert, keeping the concert lively and entertaining with colorful jokes and displays of his immense musical talent in a number of breathtaking solos. Stripling contributed to concerts that have been in the works for the entire semester.

Dr. Todd Shiver, Director of the GCSU Jazz Band, was pleased with how the band sounded during both of the concerts.

“We’ve been working all semester,” Shiver said. “I thought it was a good show.”

The concert was held in honor of the musical tradition of New Orleans and to raise money to help musicians who were displaced from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city last year.

Dr. Bob Wilson, emcee of the performances, was also impressed with the continuing quality of the Jazz band.

“The band was just unbelievable,” Wilson said. “Not only when they were solo-ing, but when they were backing up the singers, particularly Byron Stripling, they were just phenomenal. They sounded like a professional band.”

Wilson has been the emcee of the Jazz Band’s concerts for 10 years. As a professor of history, Wilson added some perspective to the concert as he helped trace the history of Jazz music back to its origin and through its wonderful history.

Wilson said Stripling was a great guest player; he interacted well with students and, in some aspects, helped Wilson liven the history of Jazz.

“Listening to Byron is like listening to the history of jazz,” Wilson said. “It contains all the vitality of the present moment. It can’t be ever the same.”

Shiver was also pleased to get to work with Stripling again.

“He does real well with the college kids,” Shiver said. “And of course he’s an incredible talent, both playing and singing.”

Stripling is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the Interlochen Arts Academy. He is currently artistic director and conductor of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Before last week’s concerts, it has been six years since he performed in Milledgeville.

“I’m glad to be back,” Stripling told the audience in between two numbers. “I hope it’s not six years before I see you again.”

After the Jazz Band performed several classics in the first half of the concert, Stripling made his appearance with his trumpet and booming voice during the second half of the concert. The Jazz Band performed ___________, and Stripling joined later joined them for numbers such as Sweet Georgia Brown and _________.

Stripling took a few moments to explain to his musical experience to the audience, but he also took some time to have some fun with the audience. His commentary often included jokes about his talent, whether he was apologizing for the audience having to put up with him or saying, “Wow. That was pretty good!”

Stripling also poked fun at the audience several times throughout the night.

“Why are you talking when I’m talking?” Stripling asked, singling out two members of the audience who were talking while he was playing. “You don’t talk during a concert, you sit quietly with your hands in your lap.”

Stripling also took a break for a moment to tease audience members who left their seats and headed for the door in the middle of the concert, asking them where they were going and telling them they couldn’t leave yet, or joking that they were leaving because they were offended at some of his suggestive jokes.

After the concert, volunteers collected donations to aid displaced musicians from New Orleans. Stripling himself donated all the cash he had on him to the cause.

“My friend Edmund Christopher.lost everything in the flood,” Stripling said. “Edmund has since located to the Los Angeles area. I asked him if he needed anything and he said, ‘No man, I’m cool, I’ve got my horn with me.’”

Stripling said he is pleased with the support America has offered these musicians.

“We have really reached out to these people, and helped find them other places,” Stripling said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 7 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry